#aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #acei ,,an ,,act ,to promote ,internet access in developing countries and update foreign policy toward the ,internet1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,digital ,global ,access ,policy ,act of #bjai or the ,digital ,,gap ,act4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to-- 7#a7 encourage the efforts of developing countries to improve and secure mobile and fixed access to the ,internet in order to catalyze innovation1 spur economic growth and job creation1 improve health1 education1 and financial services1 reduce poverty and gender inequality1 mitigate disasters1 and promote free speech1 democracy1 and good governance2 7#b7 promote build-once policies and approaches and the multi-stakeholder approach to ,internet governance2 and 7#c7 ensure the effective use of ,united ,states foreign assistance resources toward that end4 #c4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,internet access has been a driver of economic activity around the world4 ,bringing ,internet access to the more than #d1jjj1jjj1jjj people who do not have it could increase global economic output by #f1gjj1jjj1jjj1jjj and raise #ejj1jjj1jjj people out of poverty4 7#b7 ,the number of ,internet users has more than tripled from #a1jjj1jjj1jjj to over #c1jjj1jjj1jjj since #bjje1 including #b1jjj1jjj1jjj living in the developing world1 yet more than half of the world's population remains offline1 living without the economic and social benefits of the ,internet4 ,by the end of #bjaf1 over #hj percent of households in the developed world had ,internet access1 compared with just #dj percent of households in developing countries and just #aa percent in the world's least developed countries4 ,of the world's offline population1 an estimated #ge percent live in just #bj countries1 and rural1 female1 elderly1 illiterate1 and low-income populations are being left behind4 7#c7 ,studies suggest that women are disproportionately affected by a digital gap in developing countries1 where there are on average #bc percent fewer women online then men4 ,bringing an additional #fjj1jjj1jjj women online could contribute #ac1jjj1jjj1jjj to #ah1jjj1jjj1jjj to annual ,,gdp across #add developing countries4 7#d7 ,the ,united ,states has been a leader in promoting access to an open1 secure1 interoperable ,internet around the world4 ,recognizing that support for expanded ,internet access furthers ,united ,states economic and foreign policy interests1 including efforts to end extreme global poverty and enabling resilient1 democratic societies1 the ,department of ,state launched a diplomatic effort called ,global ,connect4 7#e7 ,internet access in developing countries is hampered1 in part1 by a lack of infrastructure and a poor regulatory environment for investment4 ,build-once policies and approaches1 which seek to coordinate public and private sector investments in roads and other critical infrastructure1 can reduce the number and scale of excavation and construction activities when installing telecommunications infrastructure in rights-of-way1 thereby reducing installation costs for high-speed ,internet networks and serving as a development best practice4 #d4 ,expanding ,internet access in developing countries 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,broadband ,the term broadband means an ,internet ,protocol-based transmission service that enables users to send and receive voice1 video1 data1 graphics1 or a combination thereof1 using technologies including fiber optic1 mobile1 satellite1 and ,wi-,fi4 7#c7 ,broadband conduit ,the term broadband conduit means a conduit for fiber optic cables and other connectivity technologies that support broadband or wireless facilities for broadband service4 7#d7 ,build-once policies and approaches ,the term build-once policies and approaches means policies or practices that encourage the integration of ,internet infrastructure into traditional infrastructure projects that minimize the number and scale of excavation and construction activities when installing telecommunications infrastructure in rights-of-way to reduce costs1 such as by laying fiber optic cable simultaneously with road construction4 7#e7 ,stakeholders ,the term stakeholders means the private sector1 the public sector1 cooperatives1 civil society1 the technical community that develops ,internet technologies1 standards1 implementation1 operations1 and applications1 and other groups that are working to increase ,internet access or are impacted by the lack of ,internet access in their communities4 7b7 ,policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to consult1 partner1 and coordinate with the governments of foreign countries1 international organizations1 regional economic communities1 businesses1 civil society1 and other stakeholders in a concerted effort to close the digital gap by increasing public and private investments in secure ,internet infrastructure and creating conditions for universal ,internet access and usage worldwide by promoting-- 7#a7 first-time access to fixed or mobile broadband ,internet by #bjbg for at least #a1ejj1jjj1jjj people living in urban and rural areas in developing countries2 7#b7 ,internet deployment and related coordination1 capacity building1 and build-once policies and approaches in developing countries1 including actions to encourage-- 7,a7 standardization of build-once policies and approaches for the inclusion of broadband conduit in rights-of-way projects that are funded1 co-funded1 or partially financed by the ,united ,states or any international organization that includes the ,united ,states as a member1 in consultation with telecommunications providers1 unless a cost-benefit analysis determines that the cost of such approach outweighs the benefits2 7,b7 adoption and integration of build-once policies and approaches into the development and investment strategies of national and local government agencies of developing countries and donor governments and organizations that will enhance coordination with the private sector for road building1 pipe laying1 major infrastructure projects1 and development-related construction such as schools1 clinics1 and civic buildings2 7,c7 provision of increased financial support by international organizations1 including through grants1 loans1 technical assistance1 and partnerships to expand information and communications access and ,internet connectivity2 and 7,d7 avoidance of vendors and contractors likely to be subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government2 7#c7 policy and regulatory approaches that promote a competitive market for investment and innovation in ,internet infrastructure and service to encourage first-time1 affordable access to the ,internet in developing countries1 including actions to encourage1 as appropriate-- 7,a7 the integration of universal and gender-equitable ,internet access and adoption goals1 to be informed by the collection of related gender disaggregated data and research on social norms that often limit women's and girls' use of the ,internet1 into national development plans and ,united ,states ,government country-level strategies2 7,b7 effective1 transparent1 and efficient spectrum allocation processes and reforms of competition laws that may impede the ability of companies to provide ,internet services2 and 7,c7 efforts to improve procurement processes to help attract and incentivize investment in secure ,internet infrastructure2 7#d7 the removal of tax and regulatory barriers to ,internet access1 as appropriate2 7#e7 the use of the ,internet to increase economic growth and trade1 including1 as appropriate-- 7,a7 policies and strategies to remove restrictions to e-commerce1 cross-border information flows1 and competitive marketplaces2 and 7,b7 entrepreneurship and distance learning enabled by access to technology2 7#f7 the use of the ,internet to bolster democracy1 government accountability1 transparency1 gender equity1 and human rights1 including through the establishment of policies1 initiatives1 and investments that-- 7,a7 support the development of national broadband plans or information and communication technologies strategies that are consistent with fundamental civil and political rights1 including freedom of expression1 religion1 belief1 assembly1 and association2 7,b7 expand online access to government information and services to enhance government accountability and service delivery1 including for areas in which government may have limited presence2 and 7,c7 support expression of free speech and enable political organizing and activism in support of human rights and democracy through activities that expand access to independent sources of news and information and safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms online1 in compliance with international human rights standards2 7#g7 programs and mechanisms that actively promote and advance access to and adoption of ,internet and other information and communications technologies by women1 people with disabilities1 minorities1 low-income and marginalized groups1 and underserved populations1 such as programs that address social norms and barriers to women's active participation in the digital economy or ,internet policymaking2 7#h7 mechanisms for public and private financing of rural broadband connectivity and digital inclusion2 7#i7 public ,internet access facilities and ,wi-,fi networks in places such as libraries1 government buildings1 community centers1 and schools2 7#aj7 the creation and support of research and educational networks2 7#aa7 cybersecurity1 data protection1 and privacy1 including international use of the latest version of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology ,framework for ,improving ,critical ,infrastructure ,cybersecurity2 and 7#ab7 interagency coordination and cooperation across all executive branch agencies regarding the promotion of ,internet initiatives as a part of ,united ,states foreign policy4 7c7 ,department of ,state ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with other agencies1 multilateral institutions1 foreign countries1 and stakeholders1 shall advance the policy articulated in this ,act and promote expanded ,internet connectivity worldwide1 as appropriate1 by-- 7#a7 encouraging foreign countries to prioritize secure ,internet connectivity in development plans2 7#b7 promoting the formation of region-specific multi-sector working groups to ensure technical and regulatory best practices2 and 7#c7 encouraging the development of digital literacy programs in developing countries4 7d7 ,,usaid ,the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid7 should advance the policy articulated in this ,act and support expanded ,internet connectivity worldwide1 as appropriate1 by-- 7#a7 supporting efforts to expand secure ,internet infrastructure and improve digital literacy1 and other appropriate measures to improve ,internet connectivity and usage1 in close coordination with the ,secretary of ,state2 7#b7 encouraging public and private investment in ,internet infrastructure and services of developing countries that takes into consideration the data security and integrity risks attendant to the products and services of vendors likely to be subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government2 7#c7 integrating efforts to expand ,internet access1 develop appropriate1 sustainable1 and equitable technologies1 and enhance digital literacy and the availability of relevant local content across development sectors1 such as ,,usaid health1 education1 agriculture1 and economic development programs2 7#d7 expanding the utilization of information and communications technologies in humanitarian aid and disaster relief responses and ,united ,states operations involving reconstruction and stabilization to improve donor coordination1 reduce duplication and waste1 capture and share lessons learned1 and augment disaster preparedness and risk mitigation strategies2 7#e7 establishing and promoting guidelines for the protection of personal information of individuals served by humanitarian1 disaster1 and development programs directly through the ,united ,states ,government1 and through contracts funded by the ,united ,states ,government and by international organizations2 and 7#f7 establishing programs that directly address and seek to close gaps in access1 adoption1 and use of the ,internet and other information and communications technologies by women1 minorities1 and other marginalized groups4 7e7 ,peace corps ,section #c of the ,peace ,corps ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bejb7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsection 7h7 as subsection 7e72 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7f7 ,it is the sense of ,congress that access to the ,internet can transform agriculture1 community economic development1 education1 environment1 health1 and youth development1 which are the sectors in which ,peace ,corps develops positions for volunteers4 7g7 ,in giving attention to the programs1 projects1 training1 and other activities referred to in subsection 7f71 the ,peace ,corps should develop positions for volunteers that include leveraging the ,internet1 as appropriate1 for development1 education1 and social and economic mobility4 4 7f7 ,leveraging international support ,in pursuing the policy described in this ,act1 the ,president should direct ,united ,states representatives to appropriate international bodies to use the influence of the ,united ,states1 consistent with the broad development goals of the ,united ,states1 to advocate that each such body-- 7#a7 commit to increase efforts and coordination to promote affordable1 open1 and gender-equitable ,internet access1 in partnership with stakeholders and consistent with host countries' absorptive capacity2 7#b7 integrate affordable and gender-equitable ,internet access data into existing economic and business assessments1 evaluations1 and indexes such as the ,millennium ,challenge ,corporation constraints analysis1 the ,doing ,business reports1 ,international ,monetary ,fund ,article ,,iv assessments and country reports1 and the ,affordability ,drivers ,index2 7#c7 standardize the inclusion of broadband conduit as part of highway or comparable construction projects in developing countries1 in consultation with telecommunications providers1 unless-- 7,a7 such inclusion would create an undue burden2 7,b7 such inclusion is not necessary based on the availability of existing broadband infrastructure2 7,c7 such inclusion would require the incorporation of the hardware1 software1 or maintenance of vendors likely to be subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government2 or 7,d7 a cost-benefit analysis determines that the cost of such inclusion outweighs the benefits2 7#d7 provide technical assistance to the regulatory authorities in developing countries to remove unnecessary barriers to investment and develop regulations to support market growth and development2 7#e7 utilize clear1 accountable1 and metric-based targets1 including targets with gender-disaggregated data1 to measure the effectiveness of efforts to promote ,internet access2 and 7#f7 promote and protect human rights online1 such as the freedoms of expression1 religion1 belief1 assembly1 and association1 through resolutions1 public statements1 projects1 and initiatives1 and advocating that member states of such bodies are held accountable for violations4 7g7 ,reporting requirement on implementation efforts ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on efforts to implement the policy described in this ,act and1 to the extent practicable1 describe efforts by the ,united ,states ,government to-- 7#a7 provide technical and regulatory assistance to promote ,internet access in developing countries2 7#b7 strengthen and support development of regulations that incentivize market growth that contributes to increased ,internet access in developing countries2 7#c7 encourage public and private investment in ,internet infrastructure1 including broadband networks and services1 in developing countries2 7#d7 increase gender-equitable ,internet access and close gender gaps in ,internet and other information and communications technology adoption and use1 especially in countries in which social norms limit such adoption and use by women and girls1 and otherwise encourage or support ,internet deployment1 competition1 and adoption2 and 7#e7 conduct outreach and explore partnership opportunities with the private sector on activities that advance the policy described in this ,act4 #e4 ,cost limitation ,no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of this ,act4 #f4 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act may be construed to infringe upon the related functions of any ,executive agency 7as defined in section #aje of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code7 vested in such agency under any other provision of law4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,may #bj1 #bjai4;,clerk4